Furniture construction



May 117 1954 H. D. JAWSON, JR 2,878,088

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 30, 1951 CUSH \ON Y s m:

vvv u CUSHION BA CK INVENTOR: {WDJmS/olb I ATTURN Patented May 11, 1954 OFFICE FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Henry D. `lamison, Jr., Nashville, Tenn. Application April 30, 1951, Serial No. 223,768

This invention relates to a novel `construction of furniture, and more particularly to overstuffed furniture of the living-room type.

Chairs and sofas have heretofore been designed for easy and quick assemblyand disassembly for the purpose of facilitating the packing ofthe furniture for moving. However, `the emphasis has been upon the knock-down `feature of the construction `rather than` upon producing a stronger piece of assembled furniture.

The furniture construction of this invention has `for its primary purpose the production of furniture which is actually more rigid and more resistant to breakage than conventional furniture but which also has the advantage of prior knock-down" furniture of saving shipping cost and of being very easily assembled at the place of use. r My construction also makes possible the application ofthe prefabrication principle to overstuied furniture withoutl anyV sacrificing of strength in the nished product.

Objects of the inception It is anY object` of my invention to provide a piece of furniture of the over-stuffed type, which can be shipped knocked-down for minimal shipping volume but which when assembled will be at least as strong "as conventional furniturel r Kr l Y It isanother objectto provide an over-stuffed chair or sofa which may safely be shipped (knocked-down) in a cardboard carton.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a piece o f over-stuffed living-room furniture in which the seat, the back and the arms are joined together in their lower portions by bolt-like fasteners (without the necessity of using cement or glue), and by hook-like means in their upper portions where bolts or screws could not be conveniently utilized due to the upper portions being covered by the upholstery.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the dey scription proceeds.

Detailed description In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the frame structure of a chair or sofa, with the upholstery being shown in phantom.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view partly in section of one of the hook means for fastening each side of the back to one of the arms.

Fig. 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of one of the bolt-and-nut fastening means.

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view showing the packaging of a two-cushion sofa in a card-board carton (shown in phantom).

With reference now to the drawings, the cushion-supporting seat or base member I` is formed as a rectangular frame of four boards vertically on edge and joined at each corner in4 conventional manner, as by nails, screws, glue, etc. may be provided the usual cushion-supporting springs (not shown) and to be rested upon such springs are the customary removable upholstered cushions 2 (shown in phantom).

The back of the chair or sofa comprises a rectangular frame formed of at least two vertical board members 4 and 5, a connecting top board I and a bottom board I securely joined so as to lie flat-wise of the extent of the back. The

uprights 4 and 5 carry near their lower ends a` board 8 extending forwardly so as to overlie the back of the base or seat portion I.

boards I3 and I4 extend the surface of the up,

rights 4 and 5 to form foundations for the armoverhanging upholstering of the back portion.

- Each arm part'comprises a base board I5; front'` and back uprights I6 and a top board I'I, rigidly connected at their abutting ends. Vertically on edge and connected to the bottom and 'to the uprights is the frame-stiifening and anchorage bar I8, lying flush with the inner surface of the arm-forming frames I5, IB, I1. The inner edge of the rear upright I6 is provided near its upper end with a slot I9 (Figs. 1 and 2) into which hook-carrying plates 20 (commonly called bedhooks) enter to fasten the back 3 to the arms. The bases of the hooks 20 are mounted in similar slots 2I formed in the edges of upright members 4 and 5 of the back 3, being held xedly therein by pins 22. Similar pins 23 (Figs. 1 and 2) traverse slots I9 for hooking engagement by the bed-hooks 20. The bed hooks are preferably used only to connect the furniture sections in those places where bolts or screws could not easily be used.

Where the arm, base and back sections join below seat level, they are connected by bolts or screws 24 which pass thru alined bores in the adjacent frame members. The bolts 24 preferably pass outwardly from the inside of the base or seat frame I, for convenience. On the outer Within or across the top of the frame thereA The boardl 8 is braced by two web-forming vertical boards faces of boards 'l and IB, disk-shaped nuts 25 are anchored over the bolt-receiving bores, as by nails 26 (Fig. 3) passing thru small nail-holes therein. Nuts 25 may lie in countersunk depressions, as shown in Fig. 3, to avoid bulging the back-covering upholstery 2l. Countersinking in boards I8, however, would not be advantageous. Washers 28 under the heads of the bolts 24 are also optional but desirable.

Fig. 4 shows how efficiently a two-cushion soia constructed after the teaching of my invention, may be packed for shipping in a conventional corrugated card-board carton. The carton, with aps open at the right end, is shown in, phantom.`

In contrast to glued joints, my bolted joints are equally strong but much less breakable by impact or twisting. Also they may be easily tightened if loosened by long or severe use. Then too, damaged sections can be cheaply returned to the factory for replacement or repair.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new andV desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In furniture construction, a quadrilateral seat-supporting frame comprising at least four peripherally disposed bars rigidly joined together near their ends, at least the three of said barsV forming the side and rear members of said seatsupporting frame being plank-shaped and having their intermediate dimension vertically oriented; a vertically disposed arm frame at each side of said seat-supporting frame, said arm frame comprising at least four bars rigidly joined near their ends, portions of said arm frame lying flatwise against a side of one of said lateral bars of said seat-supporting frame; an upright back frame comprising a bottom bar, a top bar and two vertically disposed end bars rigidly interconnected near their ends; the bottom portion of said back frame having surfaces adapted for lying nat against the rear face of the rear bar of said seatsupporting frame; pairs of easily detachable vertically interlocking hook-type connecting means for fastening the ends of said back frame to the upper rear portions of said arm frames; andscrew-type connectors extending across the at junctions between the abutted bars of said frames for connecting the lower portions of said arm andV back frames to said seat-supporting frame and for preventing their relative vertical 4 movement and thus preventing unhooking of said hook-type connecting means.

2. A furniture structure according to claim 1 and in which said hook-type connecting means comprise metallic plates fastened in slots in one of said frame members and protruding therefrom, the protruding portions having hook- V forming notches therein, said protruding portions entering slots in the abutting member of the adjacent frame, and pins traversing said lastmentioned slots for hooking engagement with said protruding portions of said connectors.

3. A furniture structure according to claim l `and in which said screw-type connectors pass thru bores in the abutting frame portions, said bores snugly but movably embracing said connectors, said connectors additionally comprising enlarged heads thereon and nuts having threaded axial bores therein for compressing said frame members between said heads and said nuts.

4. A furniture structure according to claim 3 and in which said nuts are of plate-like form and have nail-receiving holes thru the peripheralv portions thereof, Vand nails passing thru said holes and into adjacent bars. of said frames,

whereby said nuts are anchored over said screwreceiving bores in said bars in axial alinement,

with said bores. A

5..-A furniture structure according to claim 1 and in which said structure is a chair.

6. A furniture structure according to claim lV and in which said seat portion is elongated laterally to form a seat adapted to` hold a plurality of persons side by side.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great vBritain Apr.. 15, v1947 

